Local politicians pass the buck on Sherbrooke airport
During his visit to Sherbrooke on Tuesday, Quebec Transport Minister François Bonnardel gave an interview to local French-language newspaper La Tribune criticizing the Federal Government for a failure to act when it comes to the development of Sherbrooke’s airport. In that interview, Bonnardel is quoted as saying that he feels Ottawa has forgotten about Sherbrooke because of the fact that Sherbrooke still has not received the necessary designation from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA).
On Wednesday morning the office of Compton-stanstead MP and Minister of International Development Marieclaude Bibeau issued a response to Bonnardel’s statements, explaining that like the Provincial minister, Bibeau recognizes the importance of the commercial flights being offered from the
Sherbrooke Airport.
"To take the next step, the Sherbrooke Airport must agree on a service agreement with a carrier,” the MP’S statement reads. “The ball is in the City’s court."
Bibeau’s response elaborates that the necessary security designation will be granted as soon as the Sherbrooke Airport has agreed with CATSA on the specific security measures to be implemented. These measures depend on the type of aircraft, frequency of flights and their destination. A draft advance agreement with an airline has always been a condition for Transport Canada to grant a designation to an airport, according to the MP.
Claude Charron, President of the Sherbrooke Airport Development Corporation, said that level of readiness came as news to him.
“We’re working on something, but we’re always working on something,” Charron said, noting that although both the Provincial and Federal governments have been forthcoming on funds for infrastructure projects at the airport, the vital element now is really getting a company in and flights off the ground.
“We need to get the business going,” the president said. “What (the Federal Governement) is saying to us is get a transporter to take over the business, but it’s not that simple.”
Charron was reluctant to talk about the specific sticking points in negotiations with carriers, although he did mention that overcoming the start-up costs of bringing in a new company is a significant challenge.
“Any transporter that comes, the first day for sure he won’t have a full plane,” Charron said, adding that any company that comes in will have to change the habits of locals who are used to driving to Montreal or Burlington, Vermont to catch flights elsewhere.
In the past, the president said, deals have come close but fallen through because of the stipulation that the city would pay for empty seats on outbound flights. That, he said, would be too great of a cost to be feasible.
“We’re still negotiating,” Charron said.
Efforts to revive passenger service at